For nearly two quarters, Friday night’s quarterfinal matchup at East-West stadium was everything you’d want from a playoff game.
Fairmont Senior and Independence each boasted their own marquee weapon. Each defense made it a point to stop said weapon with moderate levels of success. The result was a relatively low-scoring affair in the first half.
The Polar Bears led 15-8 to start the third quarter before the wheels fell off the proverbial bus quickly for the visiting Patriots.
But it was still something to two of the state’s best players in a battle against one another. Neither Fairmont’s Gage Michael nor Independence’s Atticus Goodson disappointed.
It was Goodson who struck first, thanks in part to a chain-moving reception from his brother Cyrus on a key third down. The Patriots didn’t try to overwork Goodson early. But when called upon, he displayed a combination of speed and bullish strength that saw Fairmont defenders bouncing off him with regularity.
Yards after contact were aplenty. He finished with 107 yards and a TD on 22 carries, most coming in the first half as a third-quarter injury left him hampered for the final two quarters.
Michael was just as effective on the ground, rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown. He also passed for 111 yards on 6 of 12 passing. Those are pedestrian numbers by Michael’s standards, but his perfectly-placed pass on a wheel route to hit Kieshawn Cottingham in stride to tie the score early was quintessential Michael.
In Michael’s case, equally impressive is what he does when he’s not at QB. He serves as a headhunter on punts, he returns kicks, and he is a talented defender in the secondary.
More than once he came up and dropped a boom on Independence ballcarriers, including Goodson.
Big-Play Patterson
Herbert Hoover got an all-too-close view of exactly what Hunter Patterson can do with the ball in his hands. The Golden Bears’ senior all-purpose weapon accounted for five touchdowns Saturday afternoon in Oak Glen’s blowout win against the Huskies.
On the ground, Patterson rushed for 215 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries (26.9 yards per carry) and caught four passes for 134 yards (16.8 per reception) and two touchdowns.
Many a talented player is said to have big-play capability and the ability to score on any play. Patterson is one of the few where that sentiment holds true. When you average better than a first down every time you touch the ball, you’re doing something right.
Black Eagles Soaring
Seriously, can anyone slow down the South Charleston offense? Trey Dunn turned in another spectacular effort with 339 yards passing and three touchdowns while rushing for another in the Black Eagles’ 57-18 win against Princeton.
The Eagles came in averaging 50 points per game and 500 yards., Against perhaps the best defense they’ve faced thus far, SC accounted for 600 yards of offense and nearly 60 points. Neither the map nor opposing defenses have figured out the Eagles’ potent attach thus far.
Dunn is putting up ridiculous numbers. The delayed start to the season may hamper Dunn in this year’s Kennedy voting. But look for his name to rocket to the top of the 2021 watch list.
Other Candidates
Carson Deeb, Bluefield: Deeb threw for 123 yards and a touchdown against visiting North Maron in a quarterfinal win. The Beavers’ ground game did the majority of the damage, along with a solid defensive effort. Deeb will square off with Michael this week when the Polar Bears coming calling. Expect more fireworks offensively.
Noah Brown, Greenbrier West: Brown’s season came to an end with only 11 yards rushing on two carries in the Cavaliers’ upset loss to Ritchie County. Brown injured his ankle the previous week and was not expected to play. He gave it a go early, but was unable to stay in the game.
Ended by a Map
Another candidate and one of my top five saw his season, and prep career, come to an end unceremoniously this weekend.
Spring Mills’ Keon Padmore-Johnson and the rest of his Cardinals teammates had already started the drive to Ona and Cabell-Midland when they got the official word the map had ended their season. Padmore-Johnson recovered from an injury as a junior to become one of the state’s most dynamic players and legitimate dual-threat options this season.
He joins 2019 Kennedy Awards winner Ethan Payne and Wheeling Park’s Beau Heller, who as seniors saw their candidacies and postseasons stopped without stepping on the field.
No Stats, But Still Alive
For the second week in a row, Cabell-Midland’s Jakob Caudill was unable to add to his total stats thanks to a COVID forfeit. Fortunately for the recently announced future Marine, the Knights were not the forfeiting party.
No, but this week, it’s CM fighting for its postseason life against the Map as Cabell County began the week in Orange. If the map cooperates, then it’ll be a matchup of running teams when Bridgeport comes calling.
Also potentially placed on the COVID chopping block this week will be Kennedy frontrunner Blake Hartman and the Musselman Appleman. Musselman advanced this week as Wayne County stayed orange, forcing Spring Valley to stay home. Now, unless Berkeley County makes the jump from red to orange by Saturday, South Charleston will advance to the AAA title game via forfeit.
Other Notables
Dalton Dunkle, Pendleton County: It’s usually QB Isaiah Gardner that generates headlines in Pendleton County. But during the 41-17 quarterfinal defeat of Tygarts Valley, it was Dunkle’s rushing that stole the show. He scored six rushing touchdowns as the Wildcats advanced to the semifinal round opposite St. Marys.
Tre Moss, St. Marys: In a game that defines the term shootout, Moss led the Blue Devils’ attack with 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in the 52-49 win against Midland Trail.
Jeremiah King, Robert C. Byrd: King continues to string together big games for the Eagles. Facing upstart Elkins, King led the charge to pull away from the upset minded-team by rushing for 228 yards on 25 carries. He finished with three rushing touchdowns and a 64-yard receiving touchdown.
Nick Chaney, Oak Glen: Like the rest of the skill position players for Oak Glen, Chaney doesn’t require a lot of opportunities to compile yards. He completed 10 of 11 passes for 289 yards and five touchdowns, an average of nearly 30 yards per completion.
Kieshawn Cottingham, Fairmont Senior: His numbers may not be huge, but Cottingham had a HUGE third quarter for the Polar Bears. He finished with two catches for 68 yards including a 60-yard scoring strike on a wheel route in the first half. But in a decisive series in the third quarter, Cottingham scored three touchdowns to help Fairmont put to rest any hope of an Independence comeback.
